Potato production in Una set to fall as crop yield down by 30%

Potato production in Una district is likely to fall this year after the crop yield decline by 30 per cent due to severe heat during the summer and delay in the onset of the winter.

Potato is the third main crop in the district after wheat and maize and is considered a big economic support for increasing the income of farmers.

The area under potato cultivation in Una has remained steady at 1,200 hectares. However, an about 30 per cent decline in its yield will affect production this year, according to farmers.

Around 20,000 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes of potato is produced in the district every year. The potato crop is fetching good prices of Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,600 per quintal but the crop yield in the first week of September was very low due to high temperatures, said farmers Ravindra Saini, Ajay Kumar, Desraj and Sukhwinder.

Crop production had dropped by one to two quintals per kanal in many fields against usual seven to eight quintals of output per kanal, they added.

“The crop is affected by fluctuations in weather. This time, the summer lasted long and untimely rain later hit the crop,” said Deputy Director, Agriculture, Kulbhushan Dhiman while referring to the potato yield in the district. Potato ploughing had started in the district, he added.

He said, “In areas where potato is not grown, farmers sow wheat in the beginning of November while sowing is done late in potato-growing areas. However, due to the lack of rainfall in the district for the past one and a half month, the farmers are facing difficulties in sowing wheat.”

“In rain-fed areas, sowing is not possible due to the lack of sufficient moisture in the soil. We have bought seeds and fertilisers for sowing wheat and are waiting for rain to sow the crop,” said farmer Shyam Lal.

Wheat is sown on more than 35,000 hectares in the district and 28,000 hectares of it do not have irrigation facilities.